Rail-stay.



I. L. EDWARDS.

RAIL STAY.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 26. 1915.

1,2]. 1 ,561 Patented Jan. 9, 1917.

Si H 2 I h m... 72*

ISAAC L. EDWARDS, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS.

RAIL-STAY.

Application filed May 26, 1915.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ISAAC L. EDWARDS, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Aurora, in the county of Kane, and in the State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Rail-Stays, and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

The object of my invention is to provide a stay for the rails of railroad tracks which will prevent any longitudinal creeping of the rail by utilizing the tendency thereof to creep to cause the stay all the more tightly to grip the rail, and to this end my invention consists in the stay hereinafter specilied and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 is a perspective view of the two parts of my stay shown separated, the position of the rail being indicated in dotted lines; Fig. 2 a transverse section of the stay in position for use; Figs. 3 and 1 are, respectively, sections on the lines 3-3 and M, parallel with the length of the rail; Fig. 5 a detail view in perspective of the removable member of the brace.

My stay comprises a base plate 10 to extend beneath and transversely of the rail, having at one end a flange-engaging jaw 11 to overlie the flange of the rail on one side thereof, and a jaw member at the other end having a similar flange-engaging jaw 12 to overlap the flange on the opposite side of the rail, but which is separately made from the base 10. Said jaw 12 projects from a block 13 which has extending from one end a longitudinally extending slot 14 which is T-shaped in cross section so that it may slide over an upwardly projecting flange 15 on the upper side of the base 10, and an alining downwardly projecting flange 16 on the under side of said base plate 10, the slot 14 thus having a vertical portion to fit said flanges 15 and 16, and an intermediate horizontal portion to pass over the contiguous part of the base plate 10. At the open end of the slot there are two horizontally projecting lugs 17 perforated, respectively, with alining holes 18 for the reception of a locking pin 19, while at the opposite closed end of the slot the block 13 has a headlike formation 20. The underside of the jaw 12 is inclined forward and downward in the direction in which the rail tends to Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9,1917.

Serial No. 30,578.

creep and the under flange-engaging surface is serrated, or notched so as to bite into the top of the rail flange with the result that any tendency of the rail to move longitudinally forward by a jamming action tightens the grip of the jaw upon the rail. The underside of the flange 16 is correspondingly inclined and the opposite top wall of the slot 14 is correspondingly inclined so as to cause the slight downward movement of the jaw 12 that is necessary to bind it upon the top of the rail flange. It will thus be apparent that the jaw member 12 is carried bodily downward by the inclination of the flanges 15 and 16 when the rail advances and moves the jaw member forward with it.

By reason of the inclined lower surface of the jaw 12, it will be seen that initially there is contact only at the forward part of the jaw 12 with the rail flange, and the eflect of creeping of the rail is to progressively increase the contact between the under face of the jaw 12 and the rail, and especially since the under surface of the jaw 12 is roughened or serrated, such under surface will embed itself in the rail flange so that the plane of contact will be inclined, thus affording a better, or surer hold against onward creeping movement of the rail than would be the case if the under surface of the jaw 12 were parallel with the top of the rail flange. Moreover, with the contact between under surface of the jaw 12 and the rail flange to a limited extent at the forward end of the jaw 12, the action on the jaw 12 from the creeping of the rail is a pulling one on the forward part of the block 13 which carries the jaw 12, rather than. a pushing one, beginning at the rear end of the block 13, which would be the case were the under surface of the jaw 12 parallel with the rail flange,a matter that conduces to an easier movement of the block 13 longitudinally of the flanges 15 and 16 with a consequent downward movement of the jaw 12, due to the inclination of the top and bottom of the flanges 15 and 16, and of the correspondingly inclined engaging surfaces of the block 13.

In order to anchor the stay in the ballast, the base plate 10 on its underside has a pointed downwardly extending projection comprising a transverse member 21 and a longitudinally extending member 22, the

former being at the forward edge of the base 10 and the member 22 extending rearwardly therefrom.

Having thus described my invention What I claim is- I 1. A rail stay comprising a base, and a flange-engaging jaw which overhangs the upper side of the rail flange having an under flange-engaging surface that is inclined forward and downward in the direction in which the rail tends to creep and said base and jaw having similarly inclined engaging surfaces.

2. A rail stay comprising a base, and a flange-engaging jaw which overhangs the upper side of the rail flange having an under flange-engaging surface that is inclined forward and downward in the direction in which the rail tends to creep, said jaw being carried by a block that is separate from the base and has interlocking lug and slot connection with the base.

3. A rail stay comprising a base, and a flange-engaging jaw which overhangs the upper side of the rail flange having an under flange-engaging surface that is inclined forward and downward in the direction in which the rail tends to creep, said jaw being carried by a block that is separate from the base and has interlocking lug and slot con- 3 nection with the base, the lug having an upper surface that is correspondingly inclined to the inclination of the jaw, and a contiguous slot surface being similarly inclined. 3

4- A rail stay comprising a base, and a flange-engaging jaw, and engaging inclined surfaces on the base and jaw whose inclination is forward and downward in the direction in which the rail tends to creep, the 4 base having beyond the rail flange upwardly and downwardly projecting flanges whose top and bottom surfaces are, respectively, the inclined surfaces on the base, and the jaw having a T-shaped slot to receive said 4 flanges and the portion ofthe base immediately adjacent thereto on the inner side thereof. c

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set myhand.

- ISAAC L. EDWARDS. Witnesses:

MARGARET BEARDsLEY, C. A. BENNETT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. 0. Y Y 

